Food is lost in the fields. Crops are eaten by mice or rats while being stored in poorly constructed warehouses. Harvests are condemned by fungal infections when grain is stored without being properly dried.

Post-harvest losses are one of the big factors trapping African smallholders in poverty.

Poor handling practices reduce the proportion of harvests that farmers can sell, while lack of access to storage facilities and transportation forces farmers to sell what they can at the farm gate during harvest time, when prices are at their lowest.

It’s clear that tackling post-harvest losses is key to driving up smallholders’ incomes and reducing poverty. And with funding from UK aid, that’s just what Farm Africa is doing in Tanzania and Uganda, through our Regional trade of staple foods project.

Reduce post-harvest waste

Simple measures like the use of waterproof sacks can reduce the loss of crops at field level.

John Rejeali a farmer from King’Ori, northern Tanzania, who grows maize, pigeon peas and sunflowers told us: “We have learnt from the project to put the maize cobs in waterproof sacks after taking them off the stalks. Before, we just put the maize on the ground. The quality of the maize is higher now we use the waterproof sacks because it doesn’t get contaminated with soil, sand and thorns.”

Improve drying

Laying crops out on a tarpaulin in the sunshine makes sure that they are dry before they are put in storage, reducing the risk of fungal infections.

“We dry the paddy until it reaches the optimal moisture content. We are waiting until it reaches 13%. We always work two of us together to measure the moisture. It takes 30 minutes maximum to reach optimal moisture content depending on the sunlight.

“We test the moisture content of the paddy by taking a sample of the paddy in a paper cone. Once we have a sample of paddy we spread it out and let it cool for a few minutes before measuring the moisture using the moisture meter.”

Gain access to better warehouses

Moisture-controlled warehouses are offering farmers safe storage for their crops.

Frida Elisante Sarakikya, a farmer living in Maroroni, northern Tanzania, commented: “The village aggregation centre is good because I can leave the maize there and forget about it. I don’t have to worry about rats and mice.”

These measures are increasing the amount of grain available for consumption at home and the surplus available for sale, and enabling farmers to safely store crops for a few months so they can sell outside peak harvest season, contributing towards increasing volumes traded and the price received by farmers.